An Apology to Survivors of Straight from a Former Exec Staff

[Anonymous]

While I appreciate your contrition, Rich, I'm not ready to accept your apology just yet. Pardon my French, but you were a grade-A jackass when I was in Straight (1985-1987). For those who don't remember the Springfield Straight, Rich was the "bad cop" the administration paraded out when they needed to intimidate the "patients." I distinctly remember you leading "Guys Talk" and screaming/spitting in my face for  encouraging a fellow teenager to "cop out." You damaged a lot of people and seemed to enjoy the power you wielded. Instead of posting lengthy apologies on threads, why not volunteer at a local Boys & Girls Club and bring your karma back into balance? I'm not trying to be unduly harsh, but you need to be confronted by some of the people you injured. Everyone else here seems to be giving you a free pass. I'm disgusted with you and every other Brown-shirt who parachuted away when Straight collapsed while the rest of us spent years trying to put our lives back together. For shame!

[Anonymous]

There are some of us that don't care about an apology . There are quite a few that want justice for crimes committed against us.

Understood, I hear you. The apology is a great gesture, though, especially considering the magnitude of it being given by someone as "high up" as executive staff. Perhaps an apology like this one here, which can be conducive to people (mainly ex-str8 parents) gaining understanding about what Straight really was, will ultimately be helpful in bringing about some justice, who knows.

I was an inmate! in orlando in88'&89 and miss behaved the whole time I was hit,kicked,body slammed many times I remember being taken to a room where they tried to make me stand forever & when I refused 5 or 6 upper phaser stomped me then twisted my legs and arms while I bled outta all kinds of places they sat on me while they twisted me up for hours I was later smaked with a chair on an attempt to leave and twisted up! then me and my buddy tried to escape when we broke the glass in the vending machine it was pretty bad can't remember details just remember it was pretty bad later that year GaBe finelly made 2nd phase when we went to winter haven for an outta town weekend after dinner we had showers so while the others went to do there M I morale invatorys me and gabe grabbed our shoes & cut out the front door we ran so hard for as long as we could through the woods until we came upon a swamp & are only choice was to turn around the way we came or through the swamp if you've ever spent time in straight you would rather take your chances with the gator so thats what we did this is early in the morning after open meeting so it was early I remember walking chest deep in swamp water wondering if a gator was going to get us.we made it to the otherside we walked off the road until dawn then we found a gas station where we hid in the in closed area where the dumpster is kept for that day we were about starve to death by next morning but anything was better then straight so starved to death we decited to hitch hike now remember we are both only 14 so we get on the intestate and try to hitch a ride we walked all day until we got a ride from a bread truck so far then we hitched anthor ride just before dark we ended up in jacksonville anyhow  we were almost shot up while at a party when rival gang done a drive by i ended up calling my parents a few days later who led me to belive they wern't going to me back the next day a car pulled up with4 upper phaser and a prgramm dad i remember tring to fight to keep from going they over powered me & I was taken back to orlando where they abused me daily because I wouldn't get Honest or cry in there lil guy's groop about how I done sexual acts with guys or anmails how sick I only earned talk in the whole time i was a prisoner once & I was there over13 monthes I was tricked in the begening by being told we we going to an amusement park when we pulled up I seen the sign outside i refused to get out because i already knew what straight was about because of a girl friend at the time had been in straight befor we met after they convinced me i wasent staying they just wanted to evalate me after a few min. they called in some upper phasers and thats when they informed i was staying which at this time i lost it & the fight was on they dragged me in a room until my parents left then they began to kick my ass for hours because i refused to comply this was the start of a long nightmare that i still relive today the things I saw i remember we were cutting on our wrists trying to go to the hospital we cut them with pieces of tile from the dirty floor I remember when a kid brian got ahold of a paper clip he ripped open his wrist enough where he could touch the insides I now live in a world where i have no friends no relationship with my parents or sibling i am married with kids but can't hold a job & get very emotinal all the time I rarely go anywhere I don't feel apart of anything it's a day to day struggle just to keep going on straight took something from me that i will never get back so before you apolgies to me for the things you done why don't suck on a 45 cal until your branes drip outta your ears and now that we are getting honest  :flame :beat:  :twofinger:  :cry: :

[Anonymous]

There are some of us that don't care about an apology . There are quite a few that want justice for crimes committed against us.

Understood, I hear you. The apology is a great gesture, though, especially considering the magnitude of it being given by someone as "high up" as executive staff. Perhaps an apology like this one here, which can be conducive to people (mainly ex-str8 parents) gaining understanding about what Straight really was, will ultimately be helpful in bringing about some justice, who knows.

I was an inmate! in orlando in88'&89 and miss behaved the whole time I was hit,kicked,body slammed many times I remember being taken to a room where they tried to make me stand forever & when I refused 5 or 6 upper phaser stomped me then twisted my legs and arms while I bled outta all kinds of places they sat on me while they twisted me up for hours I was later smaked with a chair on an attempt to leave and twisted up! then me and my buddy tried to escape when we broke the glass in the vending machine it was pretty bad can't remember details just remember it was pretty bad later that year GaBe finelly made 2nd phase when we went to winter haven for an outta town weekend after dinner we had showers so while the others went to do there M I morale invatorys me and gabe grabbed our shoes & cut out the front door we ran so hard for as long as we could through the woods until we came upon a swamp & are only choice was to turn around the way we came or through the swamp if you've ever spent time in straight you would rather take your chances with the gator so thats what we did this is early in the morning after open meeting so it was early I remember walking chest deep in swamp water wondering if a gator was going to get us.we made it to the otherside we walked off the road until dawn then we found a gas station where we hid in the in closed area where the dumpster is kept for that day we were about starve to death by next morning but anything was better then straight so starved to death we decited to hitch hike now remember we are both only 14 so we get on the intestate and try to hitch a ride we walked all day until we got a ride from a bread truck so far then we hitched anthor ride just before dark we ended up in jacksonville anyhow  we were almost shot up while at a party when rival gang done a drive by i ended up calling my parents a few days later who led me to belive they wern't going to me back the next day a car pulled up with4 upper phaser and a prgramm dad i remember tring to fight to keep from going they over powered me & I was taken back to orlando where they abused me daily because I wouldn't get Honest or cry in there lil guy's groop about how I done sexual acts with guys or anmails how sick I only earned talk in the whole time i was a prisoner once & I was there over13 monthes I was tricked in the begening by being told we we going to an amusement park when we pulled up I seen the sign outside i refused to get out because i already knew what straight was about because of a girl friend at the time had been in straight befor we met after they convinced me i wasent staying they just wanted to evalate me after a few min. they called in some upper phasers and thats when they informed i was staying which at this time i lost it & the fight was on they dragged me in a room until my parents left then they began to kick my ass for hours because i refused to comply this was the start of a long nightmare that i still relive today the things I saw i remember we were cutting on our wrists trying to go to the hospital we cut them with pieces of tile from the dirty floor I remember when a kid brian got ahold of a paper clip he ripped open his wrist enough where he could touch the insides I now live in a world where i have no friends no relationship with my parents or sibling i am married with kids but can't hold a job & get very emotinal all the time I rarely go anywhere I don't feel apart of anything it's a day to day struggle just to keep going on straight took something from me that i will never get back so before you apolgies to me for the things you done why don't suck on a 45 cal until your branes drip outta your ears and now that we are getting honest  :flame :beat:  :twofinger:  :cry: :

[Anonymous]

There are some of us that don't care about an apology . There are quite a few that want justice for crimes committed against us.

Understood, I hear you. The apology is a great gesture, though, especially considering the magnitude of it being given by someone as "high up" as executive staff. Perhaps an apology like this one here, which can be conducive to people (mainly ex-str8 parents) gaining understanding about what Straight really was, will ultimately be helpful in bringing about some justice, who knows.

I was an inmate! in orlando in88'&89 and miss behaved the whole time I was hit,kicked,body slammed many times I remember being taken to a room where they tried to make me stand forever & when I refused 5 or 6 upper phaser stomped me then twisted my legs and arms while I bled outta all kinds of places they sat on me while they twisted me up for hours I was later smaked with a chair on an attempt to leave and twisted up! then me and my buddy tried to escape when we broke the glass in the vending machine it was pretty bad can't remember details just remember it was pretty bad later that year GaBe finelly made 2nd phase when we went to winter haven for an outta town weekend after dinner we had showers so while the others went to do there M I morale invatorys me and gabe grabbed our shoes & cut out the front door we ran so hard for as long as we could through the woods until we came upon a swamp & are only choice was to turn around the way we came or through the swamp if you've ever spent time in straight you would rather take your chances with the gator so thats what we did this is early in the morning after open meeting so it was early I remember walking chest deep in swamp water wondering if a gator was going to get us.we made it to the otherside we walked off the road until dawn then we found a gas station where we hid in the in closed area where the dumpster is kept for that day we were about starve to death by next morning but anything was better then straight so starved to death we decited to hitch hike now remember we are both only 14 so we get on the intestate and try to hitch a ride we walked all day until we got a ride from a bread truck so far then we hitched anthor ride just before dark we ended up in jacksonville anyhow  we were almost shot up while at a party when rival gang done a drive by i ended up calling my parents a few days later who led me to belive they wern't going to me back the next day a car pulled up with4 upper phaser and a prgramm dad i remember tring to fight to keep from going they over powered me & I was taken back to orlando where they abused me daily because I wouldn't get Honest or cry in there lil guy's groop about how I done sexual acts with guys or anmails how sick I only earned talk in the whole time i was a prisoner once & I was there over13 monthes I was tricked in the begening by being told we we going to an amusement park when we pulled up I seen the sign outside i refused to get out because i already knew what straight was about because of a girl friend at the time had been in straight befor we met after they convinced me i wasent staying they just wanted to evalate me after a few min. they called in some upper phasers and thats when they informed i was staying which at this time i lost it & the fight was on they dragged me in a room until my parents left then they began to kick my ass for hours because i refused to comply this was the start of a long nightmare that i still relive today the things I saw i remember we were cutting on our wrists trying to go to the hospital we cut them with pieces of tile from the dirty floor I remember when a kid brian got ahold of a paper clip he ripped open his wrist enough where he could touch the insides I now live in a world where i have no friends no relationship with my parents or sibling i am married with kids but can't hold a job & get very emotinal all the time I rarely go anywhere I don't feel apart of anything it's a day to day struggle just to keep going on straight took something from me that i will never get back so before you apolgies to me for the things you done why don't suck on a 45 cal until your branes drip outta your ears and now that we are getting honest  :flame :beat:  :twofinger:  :cry: :

:birthday:

[str8h8er]

I first recieved word of your appology from Myspace and didn't really know quite how to react. It is bitter-sweet, I suppose.

I know that you went through what we all went through but for the fucking life of me, I can not understand how you continued through the ranks to executive staff doing to others what was done to you. I too was in the program when you were on staff in Springfield and remember many daily asshole rips under your supervision. Of course, there were also times when I progressed in rank at straight and turned on the lower phasers to make my way through too. None of us are excluded from fucked up behavior here.

Thank you Rich for what you wrote. It's hard to hear but totally necessary for healing, IMO.

Smell ya,

Str8h8er ::OMG::

[Anonymous]

I first recieved word of your appology from Myspace and didn't really know quite how to react. It is bitter-sweet, I suppose.

I know that you went through what we all went through but for the fucking life of me, I can not understand how you continued through the ranks to executive staff doing to others what was done to you.

This is a really good question.  Something that I've wondered over the years.  Not about Rich, but about myself.  I too was on staff for several years.  Here is what I know:
I wanted to help people.
I cared a great deal about almost everyone that was in there with me and after me.
We were all brainwashed to one degree or another - some worse then others.

In my situation, I had never been through any other "treatment" facility before, so I thought they were all the same.  If one kept doing drugs, one would wind up dead, in jail or what ever.  At the tender age of 17, when I went on staff, I thought straight was the shit - the only way to get sober.  I bought their BS completely. I thought that since my family relationship was better, I had what I thought were good friends, and life was good therefore what they told me must have been right.  I'm not saying that it is correct, in fact over the last 23 years I now understand the real psycological reasons that I went on staff and stayed for so long.  I know that I was so codependant on the f'ing place that I couldn't leave.  They had stipped me of any sence of self or independance that I could have had to the point that I could not function in society.  The only thing that I knew was straight.  I knew that I would be respected (though I know now that it was not real respect, it was forced respect) and cared about (again, not real but forced).  

Like I said, it's not right.  But I understand how he stayed as long as he did.

[Sam Kinison]

As much as I hated my time,I feel blessed to have incarcerated during the earliest days.Jim Hartz,the first director may not have been the most qualified for his position(who there was?)but he did a great job of covering his ass in case the shit was going to hit the fan,he'd make sure it wasn't going to hit him.Mel Sembler didn't have nearly the juice at that time and Straight was anything but invulnerable.Helen Petermann was running around like menopausal moron but compared to Newton,at least so I've heard,she was the far lesser of two evils.I was there before there even a Fifth Phase.Just an attempt to create a new and improved Seed.George Ross was a year away from bringing in his rhetoric.Hartz apparently knew that if an axe was going to fall,his name was on it.So the abuses were there,but far more subtler than when Newton took over.I say lucky me because I know that it could have been worse.

[evan j rodgers]

This apology means alot to me.I remember Richard Mullinax, he seemed more human than other staff.I have totally moved on with my life and I"m not bitter. Still, brainwashing kids is so wrong and looking back, Straight was so WEIRD and so wrong its almost unbelieveable.I have talked to my life partner about Straight and he understands it better after reading the petition and the apology from Mullinax. I have told certain coworkers about Straight, basically its in the past but it makes for
interesting history.The 70's and especially the 80's were weird times indeed.People like Mel Riddile may have been sincere,
but he was sincereley wrong, much like Robert E. Lee was sincerley wrong in leading the Confederate Army.Notice both Lee
and Riddile have alot to do with Northern Virginia. Lee later served at a college, he was lucky not to be hung for treason.
These executives had to be aware that there was brainwashing and abuse. I really would like to hearr what Mel Riddile,
Will Kniseley, Bufus Gammons, Lesley Murden, Suzzane Byrd have to say about Straight in the 80's.We could learn from their perspective, they too must see more clearly with the passing of so much time.Sadly, they have remained silent on the
issue. Thanks Richard for the heartfelt response.-Evan Rodgers

[shaggys]

I really appreciate this apology as well. In fact i think it could be regarded one day as a ground breaking event for us. Thank you Rich Mullinax. That said, I understand when people get pissed and unload on ex-staff. I feel like they earned the right to unleash some venom if it helps them to feel better. I have done it myself and I'm not ashamed of anything i have said to ex-staffers. I appreciate the fact that Rich Mullinax has taken it on the chin for a while now and he hasn't retreated. Everyone needs to look real hard at their own actions while at Straight before tossing boulders at Rich Mullinax. If you ever progressed in your phases at all then you did it on the back of somebody elses suffering. That was the way of the cult. I realize the adult staff members carry a larger degree of guilt than the rest of us but those who admit their crimes and ask forgiveness should be respected for that - just my opinion.

[Froderik]

If you ever progressed in your phases at all then you did it on the back of somebody elses suffering. That was the way of the cult.

I agree; kind of like "If you pay taxes, you are the system."

[Ursus]

If you ever progressed in your phases at all then you did it on the back of somebody elses suffering. That was the way of the cult.

I agree; kind of like "If you pay taxes, you are the system."

Or, a pyramid scam ... that uses human psyches as the collateral of exchange.

[DannyB II]

If you ever progressed in your phases at all then you did it on the back of somebody elses suffering. That was the way of the cult.

I agree; kind of like "If you pay taxes, you are the system."

Or, a pyramid scam ... that uses human psyches as the collateral of exchange.

 

Ursus, you do have a way with words, very well put.  Thanks Rich, much peace.

[Withdraw]

I actually was able to write a thoughtful email to him without being too angry. I promise, I did not attack.. as you all know is hard for me.

I hope more staff are able to post thoughtful posts, so we can maybe learn something.

I don't come here often, finding this post was nice; Since he was on staff during my time.

Thanks R.M.

ps: college is good. Grades are great. I have a great feeling of accomplishment. All my pre-reqs are finished and start the RN program this week. Just 4 semesters to go! I am so happy =) It sure is nice to be able to identify myself as a Nursing student and not just an abused person anymore =)

[RTP2003]

I actually was able to write a thoughtful email to him without being too angry. I promise, I did not attack.. as you all know is hard for me.

I hope more staff are able to post thoughtful posts, so we can maybe learn something.

I don't come here often, finding this post was nice; Since he was on staff during my time.

Thanks R.M.

ps: college is good. Grades are great. I have a great feeling of accomplishment. All my pre-reqs are finished and start the RN program this week. Just 4 semesters to go! I am so happy =) It sure is nice to be able to identify myself as a Nursing student and not just an abused person anymore =)

God bless ya, Withdraw.  It does my poor tired soul good to hear that you are on your way to achieving your goals, and laudable goals they are at that.